Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda on Friday denounced the rise in insurance premium contributions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) while calling for reforming the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
This, after a post from an OFW, circulated online where he paid an amount of Php 38,400 to PhilHealth to cover his annual payments from January to December 2022. This is equivalent to Php 3,200 per month.
Section 10 of Republic Act 11223, otherwise known as the Universal Health Care law, mandates that from 2022, OFWs should pay 4% of their monthly payments, depending on their salary bracket. PhilHealth outlines annual payment amounts as follows:
| Monthly Basic Salary (in Philippine pesos) | Total Annual Contribution (Monthly premium x12) |
| Php 10,000 and below | Php 4,800 (Php 400/month) |
| Php 10,000.01 to Php 79,999.99 | Php 4,800 to Php 38,400 (Php 400-Php 3,200/month) |
| Php 80,000 and above | Php 38,400 (Php 3,200/month) |
Salceda, the chairperson of the House ways and means committee, criticised the recent increase in their mandatory premium contributions, which went to Php38,400 per year.
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“For OFWs, it’s too expensive. And the question is very simple: what do they stand to gain from PhilHealth contributions when they can’t go to Philippine hospitals abroad?” Salceda said, while referring to the mandatory contribution imposed on OFWs for allowing them to leave the country for work.
“That’s more expensive, frankly, than most general life insurance coverages. And for what? An OFW can’t avail of PhilHealth coverage while abroad. So, it’s literally for nothing on their end. So, in the 19th Congress, I am refiling, with amendments, my proposed comprehensive overhaul of the whole system,” he added.
